Avatar: The New Era - Book 2: Water
by Wanderer Of Silence
Summary: Four years have passed since the war in Republic City. Avatar Kurana, the new earthbending Avatar, is needed in search of a high ranking criminal, loose in the outskirts of New Ba Sing Se. Will team Avatar find it's way together? or will they fall apart from one another? This is the second installation of the Avatar: The New Era series. Please read the first book if you haven't.
1. Chapter 1: Where Have They Been

**A/N:** _It's good to be back! I missed writing this book and I'll make sure to turn the story into a good one :)_ _I'll put extra effort on writing these_ _anyways, I hope you enjoy the first two chapters! Stay tuned for more!_

"Come on!" The punches landed harder on his body "You can do better than that! Give it a little more!"

"Argh!" A sudden chunk of rock came flying straight to his thigh "What was that?! I thought we were sparring here?!"

Kurana looked exhausted yet a thick layer of infuriation covered her face. This has been the third time that she frustratedly bended an element towards Tokku while training in hand-to-hand combat.

"Shut up!" She answered "I know I'm weak but you don't have to rub it on my face!"

The injured waterbender stood up "I didn't even-"

"You know what? Let's call it a day...I'm done." She forcibly removed her hand wraps and walked out of the gym.

Tokku sighed and limped the other way on one leg.

"Has she always been this rough?" A familiar voice sounded in front of him.

His sister was holding a bag of chips and was watching the whole fight. She looked the same. Although her hair grew a few inches longer and were about neck length. The white streak of dye can still be seen on the side of her hair.

"Hey Lu, you were watching, huh?" Tokku was helped by his sister to walk towards the bench.

As they sat down, Tokku kept silent. Lu Mei just gnawed on the chips she had.

"So, about your question earlier...nope, she clearly wasn't like this back then" the older brother broke the silence

"Well, she did act kinda different in the past four years." Lu Mei replied

Tokku stood up to stretch out "Oh, how are you and Syv doing?" He smirked

His sister blushed and almost dropped the bag of chips in her hand.

"W-we're doing great!" She kept on eating "Sh-she's working hard, ya know?"

"Working where? Future Industries?"

"She tried that option but, it just wasn't for her" Lu Mei paused "She works at the police station, nowadays. Making her as Chief Kiro's apprentice"

Tokku had a surprised look on his face "What? Really? That's great!" He paused and thought about something "Well, what about Future Industries?"

Lu Mei smiled "Asami took the position again but, she won't be there for long. Just until I get a hang of things around there."

Her brother stared at her "You?!"

"Yeah!" she chuckled "Asami took quite a liking of me and made me as her successor"

Lu Mei stood up and went for the door "I gotta fix things up in the office. I'll see you guys soon! For now, talk to her, 'Ku. She probably needs someone to open up to. Your leg okay?"

"Alright, alright. I'll catch up with her," Tokku waved "Don't worry about my leg; it takes a whole lot to bring me down."

"Yeah, yeah whatever" Lu Mei mumbled through a mouthful of chips

* * *

The moon has already risen and the city lights shone from the harbor. The house was completely dark inside. The soft thumping of her armadillo-lion's feet sounded throughout the whole area. Fortunately, she didn't wake anyone up. It was already late when she arrived at the house.

"Soma, stay here. I'll wake up early tomorrow and we'll go out. I promise" Kurana cooed her partner

The animal growled quietly "See ya tomorrow! Good night!" She waved and went inside the house

She felt a presence inside the living room. As she slowly walked towards the figure, she opened a dimmed light. Asami already fell asleep on the couch while waiting for the young girl. Kurana felt guilt towards her second mother. She lay down beside her and fell asleep in the couch.

In the middle of her sleep, she dreamt about the previous nightmares she had years ago. Zaheer, Korra dieing, and a prophecy about the man waiting for the Avatar. These brought back the fear in her heart. She woke up with cold sweat in the middle of the night.

She panted "I gotta g-get some fresh air..." Kurana stood from the couch and decided to step outside

The icy air somehow felt like arrows piercing her cheeks. It was the middle of winter and people were inside their homes for warmth. Kurana didn't expect such a cold weather like this tonight.

As she was staring outside their porch, a faint light was glistening in the distance. She was sticking her neck out to check what it is when a familiar voice rung from where the light came.

"Kurana!" A pleading yell came from the voice

The Avatar squinted her eyes and by her surprise, it was someone close to her. She ran towards the door and helped the struggling man.

"Wh-what are you doing out in the middle of the night?!" She placed a thick jacket over the young man

"Sh-shshut up...le-le-let's get i-in-inside" Tokku shivered from the wind

They rushed inside the house, quietly climbing up the stairs in hope of not waking up Asami. They stayed in Kurana's room. The Avatar lit up a bunch of firewood to warm the whole place. Silence filled the small room.

"Uhh...do you mind explaining why you were walking out in the cold?" Kurana spoke with a worried tone

Tokku sighed "I just...I just couldn't sleep without...asking you something." He paused

"You can ask me anything," She looked puzzled "What's on your mind?"

The waterbender glanced at her "What's going on, 'Rana? What's with this sudden change?" He paused "You've been acting…different lately."

The Avatar couldn't speak and she bowed her head "It's nothing...I-I'm sorry..."

"C'mon, we-...I've been worrying about you" Tokku raised her chin

The Avatar blushed at the sudden interaction and glanced the other way "I just...I just feel so weak that it makes me think that I could've saved Mako if...if I was stronger" tears fell from her eyes

Tokku grabbed the sobbing girl into his arms and kept her in a warm embrace.

"You're not weak, you've always been strong ever since I met you" the waterbender wiped her tears "and I'll be here to make you stronger"

Their eyes were locked with each other. As Tokku closed the distance between them, Kurana felt warmth in her heart. This feeling made her comfortable. It made her safe. Safe in the arms of the man she wanted to stay with.

It was a soft kiss. Not on the lips, just on her forehead. The waterbender smiled and crawled on top of the cushion below the bed. The stunned Avatar lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

"Kurana!" A loud yell came from outside her room "Breakfast is ready!"

The two benders woke up from the sudden noise. They fixed themselves and slowly went down the stairs. Kurana whispered something to Tokku but the waterbender wasn't listening. The Avatar went down first, trying to hide the boy.

"Ah! There you are" Asami was setting down plates but Kurana was confused why there were three plates instead of two

"Good morning, M-Mom" she was nervous at the fact that she hid a person in their house, especially a boy

"Hey, what time does Asami wake-" Tokku suddenly came down the stairs, completely revealing another person to Asami

Kurana's face was blushing in red and Tokku was standing frozen. They both looked at each other and waited for something to happen.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" The non-bender raised a brow "Sit and let's eat"

"Y-you're not mad?" Kurana asked

"No, silly!" The older woman chuckled

Tokku was sitting silently on his chair, playing with the food on the plate.

"So, you knew he was here?"

Asami wiped her mouth with a napkin "Don't worry, I took a peak in the room" she giggled "I waited 'til both of you finished talking and luckily, you two weren't in one bed or else..."

She glared at the waterbender "I'm just kidding, I trust you, Tokku. Make sure to look out after her, alright?"

The boy nodded and pondered over the question "Wait, what do you mean 'look out after her'?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you both!" She grabbed a letter on the side of the table "It came earlier this morning, you two were still asleep and I couldn't resist not to open it, sorry!" She scratched her nape

"Who's it from?" Kurana opened the letter

"It's from Syv. The metalbending police are in need of your help" Asami placed a hand on Tokku's shoulder "and you too. Hurry up and finish eating, they'll wait for you both at HQ"

* * *

Everything was the same. The spirit vines remained wrapped around the different buildings. People were living their lives just the way it used to be. Humans living side by side with the spirits. Though one thing has changed, a bright bronze statue of the Chief of police stood beside his predecessors.

Kurana and Tokku dropped down from the armadillo-lion's back. The Avatar knelt in front of the memorial statue of Mako.

"Hey guys!" A woman was running towards the two benders

Kurana stood and opened her arms "Hey Lu!"

"What are you doing here?" Tokku asked his sister

Lu Mei punched his arm "I'm team Avatar too, ya know"

"Well anyways, Syv and Chief Kiro are waiting for us inside" she tugged on the two benders' clothes

The trio went inside a meeting room where a few high ranking officers surrounded a table. Syv wore a light metal armor where some parts didn't cover her skin. Knowing that she was a previous member of the Velvet Vipers, the police specifically made it for her so that she can move easily in the battlefield. Her armor was dyed in black that doesn't shine in the light. Two daggers were on her back and a length of chain hung from her belt. She winked at Lu Mei, who instantly blushed.

"Ah, I thought you wouldn't make it" a deep, husky voice came from the man sitting at the far end of the table

"Good morning, Chief Kiro" Kurana saluted

"Sorry we're late" the waterbender scratched his nape

"Alright" he stood and placed both of his hands on the table "Let's get this meeting started"

Kiro was an old man. A veteran from the Xhu Fu invasion and was also Mako's most trusted partner. His metalbending skills almost neared Chief Lin Beifong's. A white beared covered his chin and he didn't wear a cap. He has gloves on both of his hands after being burned from the previous war.

"As you all know, we call on the Avatar only for A and B rank missions" he placed his arms around his back "but she is here now for an S rank one"

The room was filled with gasps.

"What do you mean 'S ranked'?" Kurana's eyes widened

"Well, it's something we need the help of the Avatar with. This guy-" he slammed a picture of a man in glasses on the table "-is our enemy"

In the picture was a scrawny looking man. His cheekbones can be slightly seen and snow white locks filled his hair. He wore a pair of glasses and underneath was an eye-patch on his right eye. A tattered black robe was something that this man wore.

"Several reports came to my office yesterday and all of them were similar to each other" Kiro said

"The reports say that people have been going missing in the past few weeks" he paused "though, what concerns me are the other reports"

Kiro placed a hand on his chin "People see strange things. They say that dark figures were attacking people with what looks like…two elements."

The room filled with murmuring. Everyone had puzzled looks and weren't certain of the data that the Chief said.

"I know the reports are quite fuzzy" he sat down "but this is why I called you all"

The Chief placed a hand on the photograph "because the happenings lead to this man right here"

"Wait, missing?" Tokku spoke "Missing where?"

"Ah, yes" The Chief pointed a finger in the air "I was going to get to that part"

"It's your hometown" he then pointed at the Avatar

Kurana gasped and her eyes widened "Ba Sing Se?!"


	2. Chapter 2: Return to Ba Sing Se

It's been fourteen years since Kurana laid a foot on her hometown. Looking at the slums, she remembered the childhood days she had. Running around in the park, stealing money to buy food, and especially, spending time with her mother.

People were looking at the stunning woman walking the streets. Two White Lotus guards were walking beside her for her disposal. Kurana smiled at everyone who greeted her. Some others remembered her face and ran around to spread the word. They all knew that she was the Avatar and people started handing her gifts.

The guards were busy getting distracted by the crowd when Kurana saw an opening to sneak a bit. She went through the tight mass of people and into the deep slums of Ba Sing Se. In front of her was a small rusty house. It looked the same from when she left except of course, the thick ice slab that her mother placed to block the entrance.

Kurana has been adept in waterbending and she could easily move the ice. The wall went down and inside was a man sitting with a newspaper in hand. The man was startled and started throwing fire balls at the unexpected guest.

"W-wait! It's me!" Kurana dodged the attacks "Uncle Sommu! It's me Kurana!"

The man froze in place and tears came from his eyes "Is it really y-you? Is t-that my little dirt pile?"

The Avatar ran towards his Uncle and gave him a tight hug.

"I'm back, Uncle" her eyes also filled with tears "Where's mom?" she pulled away

"Come on!" he pulled on his niece's arm

A feeling of nostalgia filled the halls towards her mother's room. She was already sobbing before she could've made it inside the room.

"Wait here" Sommu went inside

After a few seconds, he motioned Kurana to come in "M-mom?"

As the mother and her daughter set sights on each other, emotions overflowed from their hearts. Kurana immediately ran towards her mother. Their hug was the warmest welcome that she wanted.

"I'm so happy, sweetie" Rani spoke in tears

Her daughter was just sobbing from all the emotions that were filling the room. Kurana finally looked at her mother.

Underneath the sickly figure, her bald head, and the weak movements, she still saw her gorgeous mother that took care of her. Rani wiped her daughter's tears away.

"You've really grown a lot, huh" she smiled

Kurana held her hand tight "I missed you so much"

"I missed you too" she brushed Kurana's hair "Why are you here all of a sudden? You didn't even tell me you were coming!"

"Actually" the Avatar sighed "I'll be here for a few months or maybe weeks only. We're off to investigate someone causing trouble around town"

A smile sprawled across Rani's face to cover the sadness that her heart shows "That's great, dear" she paused "Hmm…Have you been eating a lot? You look thin!"

The two of them chuckled and a bright mood replaced the sadness "You know what? I'll cook your favorite stew and let's celebrate!"

The dark filled the night and the two guards already caught up with the Avatar. They sat outside the house, waiting for orders while protecting the people inside the small home.

"-and then I threw in some of my kicks!" She laughed while throwing a kick in the air

The trio was enjoying each other's company while eating their supper. The whole evening was filled with joyous stories from the Avatar that counted out the miserable parts of her journey.

* * *

When the sun rose, the Avatar was the first one to wake up. She did her usual training ver early in the morning as respect to Mako's teachings.

Little did she know that her mother was watching her train. Rani took in the idea that her daughter has grown more independent through the years.

Three young teens approached Kurana and started talking with her. Rani was looking at the group when she realized that those teens weren't strangers, but Kurana's new friends.

After a while, the Avatar bid farewell to her mother so that they can start the investigation early.

"I'll be back late, mom" Kurana gave her mother a warm hug

Rani smiled "Alright, take care, okay?"

"I will!" She waved at the old woman sitting on a new wheelchair

"Your mother's really nice" Tokku nudged the Avatar "unlike you" he laughed

Kurana gave the young man a hard punch to the stomach.

"I was j-just kid-ding" the waterbender coughed and every one of them laughed

The group parted ways. They had specific areas assigned to each one of them. Kurana, together with her White Lotus guards, was placed to scout the surrounding part near her home. Lu Mei wandered through the north. Syv was searching from above, jumping to each different building and watching for suspicious activity. Tokku was given three metalbending officers because the most hostile area was assigned to him.

It was already nearing midnight and the search party continued. They have asked different citizens about information that they can use for the investigation.

"Over here!" A White Lotus guard yelled from the distance

Kurana and the other guard ran towards the yell. As they neared in, there was a child, maybe of age seven, crying behind a dumpster.

She had crummy clothes and she was standing on her bare feet. The two guards raised their hands and stood beside the girl. They protected the Avatar and the little girl. Kurana tried to comfort the young child.

"Hey now" she cooed at the child "you're safe"

The girl continued sobbing.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Kurana carried the child and they entered an abandoned house

The house seemed a safe place to stay, out of the unexpected happenings outside. Finally, the girl snorted and she calmed down.

"Are you hurt?" Kurana checked the girl and found several bruises on her arms. There was also a light stitch on her skin right on her shoulder

The girl shook her head "I'm...fine..."

"What's your name, sweetie?" The Avatar looked professional at the moment

"M-my name's Sassan" she twiddled with her thumbs

The Avatar held the girl on her lap "Okay Sassan, that's a beautiful name, huh?"

The girl smiled and continued her mannerism.

"Sassan, what are you doing all alone here?" She brushed the child's hair

Sassan shook her head "I can't remember...do you know where my sister is?"

Kurana was struck with her words and decided to take her in for protection.

"I'm not really sure, sweetie" she carried the child "For now, you wanna stay with me? I'll be a nice sister!"

Sassan nodded for the first time. The child had already slept in her arms by the time they arrived at Kurana's home.

* * *

Kurana, Lu, and Syv have already returned to the meeting place. On the other hand, Tokku was still finding his way out of the alleys.

"We should've brought a map" an officer sighed

"Well, Yi here, didn't bring one!" the highest ranking officer out of the three punched the officer named Yi

The officer scratched his nape "I was from around here...and I thought the alleys would be the sa-"

"Keep it quiet!" Tokku saw two men running and pointed towards them "Over there"

The group ran after the two figures, who took a right turn in a tighter alley. As the group took the turn, they were met by rocks and a couple of fireballs.

The officers took turns in throwing their metal cables towards the attackers. The alley was pitch-black and a little moonlight was the only thing that was visible.

A medium sized rock came flying towards Yi and sent him straight to a brick wall.

"Yi!" The high ranking officer yelled and was distracted

Three fireballs aimed towards his chest that heated up the armor he was wearing. He was helped by the other officer, who took him to a safe spot. The officer wasn't a bender, but a skilled escape agent. He was the one that would help the group find exits and retreat from any attack.

Tokku was now head on against the darkness. He threw the icicles that he formed from the moisture, towards the attackers.

 _How will I be able to last a one versus two?! Unless I use...no! I won't use it again!_

The idea of using bloodbending against the attackers filled his mind. Luckily, he managed to control himself.

The fight lasted for a couple of minutes until the waterbender's foot was caved in earth. Tokku fell to the ground, trying to break the mold of rock. A figure slipped out of the shadows.

In front of him was a large bald man. It was still dark and Tokku could only see a familiar tattoo on the right arm of the man. Tokku threw water spikes towards the incoming man, who easily dodged them.

The waterbender was now vulnerable to any attack. His arms and legs were encased in earth. Suddenly, the bald man held a flame in his hand. Tokku's eyes widened and terror filled his body.

 _Th-this, this is a d-dualbender?!_

As the flaming hand was nearing on the waterbender, the man froze in place and immediately collapsed to the side of Tokku.

A mysterious arrow was pierced through the back of the man's head which instantly killed him. Tokku searched the area from where the arrow came. Another dark hooded figure was standing on top of a short building.

"Sir!" An officer aided the waterbender "Are you alright?"

Tokku turned his head and nodded at the man "Just help me out of here"

The rock around his ankles and wrists were broken by the officer's brute strength. The figure already vanished by the time Tokku glanced at it once more.

The young bender stared at the bald man's hand. There was something about his tattoo that looked familiar.

Tokku's eyes widened as he neared the fallen attacker. He grabbed the man's arm and searched for something on the tattoo. Finally, he remembered.

"No…" he held his hands on his head "Th-this can't be?!"

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hello there everyone! That is the first two chapters of book 2!_ _unfortunately, I won't be able to update next week, since my final exams are coming up :(_ _I'll make sure to upload the week after_ _anyways, thanks for all your support! Drop a comment and a vote!_ _see ya guys soon!_


	3. Chapter 3: A Red Bracelet

"Tokku!" his sister ran towards the men carrying his brother

His arms were gashed with several wounds and nothing more happened to his body. Lu Mei ignored the other unknown body that was being dragged by the officers.

"What the heck happened?" Lu Mei touched the open wounds

Tokku hissed in pain "We were attacked by that guy" he motioned over the lifeless body

The man was stabbed at the back with an arrow and his body was full of stitches.

"Lu, I need to talk to you guys about something" blank eyes stared at Lu Mei "It's about…him"

The firebender's eyes widened and she shook it off to help her brother.

* * *

Everyone was sitting around the living room of the abandoned house they stayed at. Sassan was sitting on Kurana's lap when a certain waterbender came in.

"Hey guys, I got a few info from my encounter yesterday" he sat down and threw a package wrapped in cloth

Syv was the first one to grab the package "What's this?"

"Open it if you're tough enough" he leaned back

The non-bender furrowed her brow and proceeded on opening the wrapped object. She slowly revealed a dark red stain on the white cloth. A finger suddenly stuck out and startled the woman. She threw the object back on the table. The Avatar and the young girl turned their heads in disgust.

"Told 'ya" Tokku rolled his eyes

"What are you doing with a-" Syv was cut off by her gut feeling to puke out

"It's not just any other hand" He grabbed it and held it up "It's my dad's…our dad's"

Lu Mei stood up "What? What do you m-mean?!"

"Here" she took the hand from her brother "Look at his tattoo"

The firebender's eyes widened "Its…the family symbol"

The tattoo was a single head of an eagle-lynx. It was inked in dark grey yet the stains of blood overlapped the image. Stitches hung from the gruesome hand and Sassan had no courage to look at it.

"C'mon, give me a heads up on our guy" Lu Mei insisted on getting the info out of her brother despite the fact that this moment was making her heart shatter

"Alright, this is no ordinary guy" Tokku stared at each one of his teammates "He knows everything that needs to be known about chakra paths and human anatomy"

"I'm guessing, he's a top-notch scientist or a researcher" he held his chin "knowledge about this only comes from one source…Wan Shi Tong's Library"

Everyone was focused on listening at the important details that Tokku was sharing.

"Our guy dismembers limbs and other important parts of a bender's body so that he can transfer it to another person which makes the fact that this individual right here" he pointed at the dead body behind them "is a dual-bender"

"I ran through the files that we got from the Chief and this body was indeed a missing person"

Kurana spoke up "So, where are you going at?"

"Our scientist kidnaps people and turns them into dual-benders, the reason?" he paused "That's what we're gonna find out"

* * *

The morning sun rose and Sassan woke up. She groggily opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar view outside the window. It was Kurana, training early in the morning. Sweat dripped down from her chin as she gave Sassan a sweet smile.

"She's an early bird" Tokku leaned out the window

"Does she do this every day?" the young child looked up

The waterbender took a sip from his coffee "She would be uneasy for the whole day if she misses her morning training"

Kurana walked in and took a towel from her bag "Are we going to search again today?"

Tokku shook his head "Nope, let's take a break and drop by the market for some supplies, we're running out of coffee!"

Laughter filled the air, yet Sassan sat quietly at the corner of the couch

"Sassan will come too, right?" Lu Mei asked

The Avatar nodded "Of course!"

The young girl smiled and ran towards her step-sister to hug her.

"Hey, I got a little something for you" the Avatar pulled away from the child

She handed a bracelet that consisted of bright red beads. Sassan happily accepted it and wore it immediately.

"Thank you, big sis!"

* * *

Syv and Tokku were the ones left in the house while Kurana, Lu Mei, and Sassan ran off to buy supplies. Tokku wasn't able to come since he just got injured from the fight and Syv was still treating the other officers' injuries with the medic.

"Go get some eggs from that guy" the Avatar pointed at an egg vendor

The little girl happily ran towards the stand. The man had a hood on and his face couldn't be seen. Sassan was asking for a tray of eggs but, the man was ignoring her.

"Uhh…excuse me, sir?" Sassan tugged on his robes "I was asking for a tray, please?"

Light reflected on the man's wicked grin. Fear crawled in the young girl's face when the familiar face brought memories back from her mind. The man held her hand tight and hid her in the robe.

* * *

"What's taking the kid so long?" Tokku played with the potatoes in his hand

Kurana was starting to worry "She went to that egg ven-" as she looked at the egg stand, there was no one standing

The Avatar ran towards the area and looked around for the missing girl "Ha-have you seen a ch-child?! About this tall, short brown hair, and a stitch on her sh-shoulder?!" She asked the people walking around, who in turn shook their heads

The sun was starting to set when the others ran towards the worried Avatar.

"Kurana!" Syv was running and what looked like, she held something in her hand

"What is it, Syv?! Did you find her?!" Kurana was holding the exhausted woman

"L-look, t-take a look…at this-" Syv opened her hand

Kurana gasped and dropped down to her knees "No…" a crimson bracelet was in her hands. It also had a letter tied to it

* * *

 _Greetings, Avatar. I'd like to have a few moments of your time at my place. If you aren't there two days from now, you wouldn't want to know what I'll do with the child. If you want to know where I live, answer the riddle:_

 _I do not have eyes, but I always sleep_

 _I do not have legs, but I am tall_

 _I can't go down if I'm hit with something cheap_

 _But the harder you hit, the faster I fall_

 _See you in two days, Avatar_

 _-N_

* * *

The letter was written in blood. Kurana gripped the paper hard, completely crushing it in just one hand.

"Don't…piss…me…off" she clenched her jaw as the dark filled the night

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hey there guys! I am so sorry for missing out another week :( Finals just finished and I am now on break! Yay! :D I'll see you guys next week for the continuation of this short part :p I hope you guys are still here :(_


	4. Chapter 4: The First Riddle

The gang stayed up all night to take turns and answer the riddle. They had hundreds of ideas but none of them was fit. Kurana was nervously shaking, thinking about how a defenseless child would be involved in this investigation. Time was ticking. They only have twenty hours left before something could happen.

"C'mon, guys!" The Avatar was forcing everyone to give out their ideas "Is that all?!"

The waterbender groaned "Alright, alright!" He stood up and held his chin, "The riddle says ' _I do not have eyes, but I always sleep',_ and I think our guy is talking about something that doesn't breathe, like an object."

"The next line ' _I do not have legs, but I am tall'_ it's as if he's saying that it is a large non-living thing."

Everyone inside the room was completely stunned. They had no idea how Tokku thought of those things. The waterbender stood up, walked around the room and kept thinking about the next line.

"Okay, this one's really hard." He stopped.

His sister spoke up, "Let's see, ' _I can't go down if hit by something cheap'_ kinda sounds like the object is made of a hard material?"

"Yes...yes! You're right!" Tokku eagerly responded. His sister boasted to Syv for answering the question.

"What about the last one?" The non-bender pointed at the riddle.

"Wall!" An eager voice came from behind them, "It's a wall, guys!"

All of them turned around to see a battle-ready Avatar answering the riddle. This time, her personality changed. Her nervousness was overcome by excitement.

"It's an object, it's large, made of hard material, and it gets chipped off if hit again and again." Kurana packed her things, "We gotta hurry, Sassan's waiting for us!"

They all nodded and rushed to grab their equipment. Syv carefully placed her twin daggers at her back while Lu Mei gobbled up the last pieces of her snack. The waterbender wrapped his arms with cloth and helped Kurana with her's.

* * *

It was night time and the people were already in their houses. The gang thought it would be best to travel at this time to attract fewer crowds. They were already close to the last wall that stood around Ba Sing Se when they realized that they were not alone.

"Hey!" Syv yelled, "Did you hear that?".

Tokku looked around, as did everyone, "Hear what?".

"Over there!" A shadow slid at the corner of Kurana's eye, "What was that?"

Out of nowhere, a blast of fire came straight from above. They spread out to dodge the flames. As the fire settled, a muscular woman emerged. Kurana noticed several similar stitches that Sassan also had on the woman. Her hair was black with touches of faded white.

"P-Please," The woman's eyes filled with pain, "Help…m-me."

Tokku slowly walked over towards the woman, trying to calm her down, "Okay, please settle down, we don't want anyone to get hurt."

The woman stayed completely still. Everyone was in a fighting stance; a single movement could make elements fly all over the place. Tokku was still creeping over and talking with the woman.

"What's your name? How can we help you?" The young waterbender asked.

The woman groaned and everybody was startled, "I'm sorry…please…it hurts."

Tokku circled the woman, trying to see if there were any injuries. Scars and stitches were the only marks that made her look different.

"Other than your stitches, there's nothing that should be hurting you right now." Tokku stood in front of her, "What happened?"

"I...don't know," The woman broke down in tears, "All I remember was walking down the market and the next thing I knew...I was lying on a bed and I couldn't move."

Everyone gasped at the thought of what the woman had said. They kept their distance from her because anytime, she could attack them. The woman fell to her knees, crying harder than earlier. Kurana walked behind Tokku and patted his shoulder.

"I think you already know what happened." The waterbender tensed at the touch.

Tokku turned to her and whispered in her ear, "She's a dualbender, 'Rana."

"Look at her arms. She has the same stitches I saw on the one that attacked me." Kurana inspected the woman.

"She may be able to help us find Sassan." Tokku suggested.

Kurana nodded, "Okay, but we should keep a safe distance from her."

They both agreed and the waterbender went to talk to the woman, "We'll help you ease the pain of you help us."

"Please...anything that could make it go away." The woman begged.

"Okay, good. Do you remember where you came from?" Tokku asked.

The woman stood up and pointed at a small theater on the side of the great wall. It clung to the wall like a natural structure. It had chunks of rock supporting it underneath.

"I used my firebending to reach the ground safely. If you want to go there, you can-" The woman was stopped by an insatiable pain coursing throughout her body.

She groaned and her eyes were the color of blood. Veins pulsed in different parts of her arms. A soft layer of white froth dripped from her widened teeth. She dashed towards the group and blasted them with a giant slab of rock.

The three girls were shocked to see a regular person bending two elements at once. They dodged the incoming boulder and took turns in attacking her.

The woman held a small rock floating on her hand and placed a thick burst of fire on it with her other hand. This created a lava-like element that was thrown at them. To their surprise, it suddenly exploded. Each one of them flew to different directions.

"'Rana!" Tokku checked on the Avatar.

He saw her sister trying to wake up Syv and beside them was an injured Avatar. As Tokku neared in, Kurana whined in pain. Her leg was hit by something hard. Luckily, the leg wasn't broken and could be healed immediately.

"Stay here and heal yourself quickly! Remember what I taught you about the water vapor." The Avatar nodded and Tokku went on to face the woman.

A tall, sinister-looking figure emerged from the flames caused by the explosion. Her smile was twisted and her eyes kept that crimson shade in them.

"What are you doing?!" Tokku blasted her with icicles and simultaneously dodged the incoming attacks.

"Good evening, Avatar." The woman's voice changed.

"Who are you?! Are you the one who took Sassan?!" Kurana limped towards the attacker.

The woman laughed in a dark manner, "This body is not the one who took your precious Sassan,"

"It was me, the Puppeteer." She spread her arms, as if being controlled by someone.

Their faces had a confused look on them, "What are you talking about?!" Kurana replied.

"My real name is Narrosk," A sly smile spread across the woman's face, "Yes, I lived at that theater over there and you answered my riddle,"

"I won't be doing anything to the child for another three days, but I'll tell you, the next riddle is in that theater."

"Show yourself and face me!" Anger took over Kurana's body, she blasted the woman with a few water spikes and several more earth rocks.

The woman's body was slowly being cut in different places. Kurana kept on launching elements towards her but the woman stood still, smiling.

"She won't feel pain, Avatar," Narrosk spoke through the woman, "Go find the riddle, you're wasting time!"

Tokku immediately wrapped his arms around the young girl, "C'mon, let's just go!"

The Avatar loosened up and tried to catch her breath. Syv finally woke up and was being helped by Lu Mei.

"See you, Avatar." Narrosk controlled the woman and made her run off.

"Sassan's waiting for us, we gotta go." Tokku talked Kurana out of her shock.

The Avatar nodded and the gang went on to search the theater for clues.

"Ahh! That was enticing!" His snow white hair waved as he turned around from his chair.

"She'll be here in a few days, number eight." The chains around her seemed a bit heavier than before.

The little girl mumbled through the thick metal on her mouth.

"Don't be naughty, keep still." The third injection pierced through her skin.

It was a dark and gloomy place. There were a lot of them inside. Some were dead but a few were breathing. She was one of the few to survive the numerous experiments done on her body.

She wasn't just a normal experiment, she's the perfect experiment.

 **A/N:** _Hey there everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates :( but I'll make sure to have one up every other week. The Pro-Bending Competition together with my studies give me a lot more tasks to do in a single day. So, don't worry if I don't update that much because I'll be sure to maintain the story :) I promise! Thank you all!_


	5. Chapter 5: Separation

Kurana and the others climbed the wall and went inside the ruined theater. The doors creaked an eerie sound as the group opened the entrance. Cobwebs and dust filled the dark room as they stepped in.

"Everyone, go look for some clues we can use." Tokku ordered the others.

As they were searching the theater, Tokku laid the injured Avatar on one of the seats in the auditorium.

"Does it hurt here?" The waterbender touched a part of Kurana's leg.  
The Avatar hissed in pain, "I g-got this!"  
She immediately bent the water around the air and started to heal herself with the little energy she has left.  
The injury disappeared in a snap. Kurana smiled and tried to stand up.

"Guys!" A loud voice echoed through the room, "We found something!"  
The two benders looked at each other and immediately ran towards the group.

As Tokku and Kurana reached them, they stopped in their tracks and looked up at the large mannequin with its arms wide open standing behind the theater's stage. It wore a bright blue kimono and a plain red kabuki mask.

"Wow, that is a huge one." Tokku stared at awe.  
"Well, what you got?" The Avatar asked the others.  
Syv handed out a small note, "It's another one."  
"Another one?" Kurana opened it and found a riddle.

"So you found it. Here is the next riddle. Good luck, Avatar."

 _It is where I spend my money_  
 _All the different wasted goods_  
 _It was where she grew weary_  
 _And was taken by the hoods_

The team Avatar wondered about it for a couple minutes until Kurana lit a bulb.

"I get! It's the market!" She remarked. "It was where Sassan was taken and people bought different kinds of things in there."  
"Alright, let's pack up and head straight there." Tokku bended the water from the air and created a pair of strong icicles for each person in the theater. "Take this; let's take the easy way down from the wall."

As they climbed down the wall, the sun started to rise and everyone felt the tiredness creep all over their body. The group was exhausted, yet the Avatar kept her energy to search for her beloved Sassan.

* * *

"Hey, hey! 'Rana!" Kurana was shaken back to reality. "Let's take a break, please."

The Avatar looked at herself and she noticed how she was about to leave the rest of the group. She had her bag on and a few supplies in there that would last her to search for Sassan. She realized that she had her sights too much on the young girl that she forgot about the people around her.

Lu Mei slowly helped her sit on the sidewalk as she instantly fell asleep because of the stress her body took last night. The others smiled at her.

"She just works too hard." Lu Mei spoke first.  
Syv sat beside her, "It's what the Avatar's supposed to do, to help us."  
"Yeah, but this is the only way we can help her." Tokku butted in.

The two women stood silent as they realized the care that Tokku gave Kurana.

* * *

"Hey, wake up." A heavy voice rung at her ear. "It's already morn and we gotta move. I think we can catch up with them if we keep a good pace."  
Kurana blinked rapidly and was awake in an instant. "Come on, let's go."

She quickly stood up and left the waterbender to pack up her things.

"'Rana! We can't just go with you in an empty stomach." Tokku walked towards her. "Here, I saved the last two for you."  
He handed out two pork buns out from his bag, "You need energy. How are you supposed to face them with that kind of exhaustion?"

Kurana stubbornly turned away and continued to fix her things.

"Hey! I'm asking you to eat and-" Tokku was faced by the most vicious look the Avatar gave him.  
"Don't tell me what to do." Kurana confronted him, their faces were inches apart from each other, "You're the one who said it, right? There isn't much time left. I know we can save her but it's gotta be now."

The waterbender froze while watching several weak streaks of light blink from her eyes. Kurana grabbed her bag and turned to him.

"If you're just gonna bum around, then it would be my pleasure to go without you." The Avatar grunted.  
"Don't be foolish!" The waterbender retorted, "Without me?! If it wasn't for your selfishness, we would've saved Sassan by now!"

Kurana was about to shed a tear when she turned around and blasted the ground with fire to boost her out of the area.

"'Ra-'Rana!" Tokku grew worried and screamed at the flying Avatar.

Tokku returned to the camp to waken the sleeping women as Kurana headed on out without them.

"Syv, Lu, we gotta go. 'Rana went on without us. We have to go after her." The two women rolled around their sheets and after a while stood up.  
"Which way did she go?" Syv asked.  
"That way, towards the Hao Zhang Market." The waterbender replied.  
Lu Mei scouted the distance, "It's not far away from here, maybe a fifteen to twenty minute walk would take us there."  
"Besides, Syv planned for this happening after all." She added.  
The waterbender looked at her in confusion, "And what do you mean by that?"  
"You'll see when we get there." Lu Mei smirked.

They gathered up their supplies and went after Kurana.

* * *

Kurana reached the market and decided to land at the back of a big store. A wave of light flames spread around her as she landed on her feet. She looked all over the place and no one was in sight. It felt like a ghost town until she realized it was a Sunday and everyone was out to worship the gods.

"Sassan! Are you here!" She called out in the middle of the market.

There was a rustle behind one of the storage carts and she quickly ran after it. She slowly crept to the side of the cart and partially saw dark locks of hair lying on the ground.

"Sassan! Are you-" To her surprise, it wasn't the young girl she expected it to be but a woman that seemed to be of the same age as her.  
"A-Are you alright!?" She hurried on to the girl.

Kurana looked around for scars and saw two stitches, one on her left leg and one on her left hand. Realizing the danger, she quickly took a step back and held a shard of ice on her hand. She waited for the woman to stand up when after a few minutes she continued to lay flat on the ground.

 _What? Why isn't she standing up?_

She neared again towards the girl. She noticed a white paper hanging to the side of the woman, she grabbed it and opened it. Before she could even read the note, a flash of light came from behind her. Kurana turned around and saw three people, a man and two women.

"Are y-you dual-benders?!" She nervously asked.

The trio did not reply but instead attacked her with a barrage of water and earth. She easily dodged some of the attacks but it wasn't enough. A combination of water and soft earth was used by the dual-benders to attack her and freeze her tracks. Fortunately, she already knew waterbending and melted the mud off her feet.

 _Ugh! How am I supposed to finish off three of them at once?!_

Kurana was near a grove and decided to run inside of it to lose the three attackers. Sharp branches and bushes of thorns cut lightly on several parts of her body. It was complete pain for her. She was slowly getting tired and the trio was nearing in on her when she was pulled inside a bark of a tree.

"Shh! Don't talk." A young man held her mouth shut.

She was inches away and face to face from a man that she didn't know. A couple of minutes passed and the attackers were completely gone. The two stepped out of the bark and Kurana held an offensive position.

The man held his hands up in the air. His right hand was covered in black satin wraps while the other was free of any cover. He had long ash-black locks that were tied up in a ponytail but a strand of hair was freely hanging on each side of his hairline. He had a smile that was seductively gorgeous and there was aura around him that completely made Kurana feel comfortable.

"Wh-Who are you?" She noticed a bow and a quiver of arrows around his body, " Why did you help me?" She added.  
"Well, it's quite normal for people to help others when they're in need." He smirked.  
The Avatar blushed. "You didn't answer my question, who are you?"  
"Just a friend." A sweet smile spread across his lips.

* * *

A/N: PHEW! There you have it guys, after a veeeeeery long time, I finally got out of writer's block :D but it wasn't just because of that, I had to deal with a ton of school works and several other personal priorities that I really had to do :( so, I apologize for not posting a new chapter for such a long time. Anyways, be sure to keep in touch and stay for some more A:TNE action! See ya! ;)


	6. Chapter 6: The Archer

In a blink of an eye, Kurana leaped and conjured three boulders from the ground. The stranger's eyes grew wide and dodged the incoming attacks with unmatched speed. He grabbed the bow wrapped around his body and went after the quiver of arrows that laid at the trunk of the tree.

The Avatar threw the remaining boulder at the place where the quiver lays but before she could land the rock, there wasn't any sight of the stranger around.

Kurana looked around. She spun like a paranoid woman in the middle of the forest. A quick arrow flew inches away from her face and landed on the bark of a tree. She returned a blast of fire on the direction from where the arrow flew unfortunately, she missed. Kurana's eyes grew wide as a barrage of arrows flew from every direction. She consistently dodged each one of them before leading to a halt.

A sharp arrow was pointed at her neck as her arms we're wrapped around by a thick layer of cloth. It all happened before she could drop a sweat.

"H-How did you get h-here so fast?!" She nervously asked.  
The sly archer smirked, "Let's see, mastered archery at the age of six, disciplined by the great monks at the Golden Temple, trained with the best martial arts master in the world. I can say that I'm pretty well skilled in a few."

Kurana gulped and thought of a way to get out of her situation.

"Don't worry," the young man released his grip, "I'm on your side."  
"The name's Ukiyo." He stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Avatar."

His hand was cold. It felt like ice freshly removed from an iceberg. Kurana shook the sweaty palm and kept a straight face.

"Let me ask you something, why the spirits did you attack me?!" The mysterious looking man completely broke out of character and continued to laugh.  
"You l-looked like you we're one of his guards." The Avatar replied.  
"Guards? What do you mean? And who's 'He'" Ukiyo gave her a confused look.  
"I'm actually off to take him down right now. His name is Narrosk. He's known by kidnapping people around Ba Sing Se, including my friend." Kurana said.  
"What?! At least we can track him down since you already know his name. I'll help you out. I don't have a so-called 'home' anyways." The non-bender bowed his head.  
"What happened?" Kurana placed a hand over his shoulder.  
"Well, my dad passed away and my mom was killed in combat. They were really great parents and they have come a long way to where they left. It's my duty to finish what they've started." He smiled sadly.

The two of them stared long. Their eyes met and an awkward blush spread across their faces.

"Uhh...I think we better get moving." Kurana broke the silence.  
Ukiyo snapped back to consciousness. "Y-yeah."

The young man waited for her to lead the way. The two of them rushed through the woods when Ukyio was tripped on a rock. He fell hard on the dirt as earth traps clasped to his wrists and ankles. Four large brutes emerged from the shadows. Each had a red marking on their foreheads and all were clearly dual-benders. Kurana tried to fend them off with fire but she was grabbed from behind.

"Avatar!" Ukiyo yelled in worry.  
"We have retrieved the specimen, Master." The largest one spoke through a tiny microphone.  
"Ahh, yes. Very well done. Bring them and you shall be rewarded." A voice similar to Narrosk's spoke through a tiny implant on the brute's ear.

The large one ordered the others to grab the fallen man. Kurana was sprayed with an unknown chemical that made her fall asleep.

As they were to lay hands on Ukiyo, he immediately broke out of the earth traps and whirled towards a tree. He grabbed his bow and fired consecutive shots on each enemy. They all went down in a snap. Ukiyo wiped a sweat and climbed down. Before he could even reach Kurana, an instinct made him block an incoming attack.

"Don't you dare touch her!" A make voice echoed through the woods.

The waterbender slowly walked towards them with a fist of ice on his hand ready to launch at anything. Ukiyo stepped back and placed his hands in the air.

"And yet again." He sarcastically whispered.  
"Who are you? And what in the world happened here?" Syv spoke behind Tokku.  
The long-haired man chuckled, "I was just trying to help your friend over here."

Tokku checked Kurana if she was still breathing. Fortunately, she was only unconscious. The young man clenched his fists and went straight towards Ukiyo. The non-bender leaped towards the tree to dodge any attack.

"Oh c'mon! I was really helping her! Do you even see the three large men around us?" He pointed at the brutes.  
They looked around at saw the fallen men meters away from Kurana.  
"Why were they here? And why were you with Kurana?" Tokku, who had calmed down, asked.

The archer dropped from the tree and sighed, "Okay, let's start from the beginning."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hey there guys! I'm happy to tell you that my team and I made it to the Finals and won as champs in the Pro-Bending Competition at :D if you guys wanna check it out, search for the thread in the forums and sign-up for the next season! I'm telling you guys, it's a really tough competition but it's pretty fun! Well, here's a little something for all of you :) it's my Christmas Break and I've been resting for a while just for my body to cope with all the stress that school gave me. Updates would be faster than before since I'm pretty vacant :) after Christmas, I'll be sure to upload the next chapter but for now, have a Merry Christmas everyone! :D thank you all!_


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